ATLANTA (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a former Internal Revenue Service employee has been sentenced in a tax fraud and identity theft scheme.

Officials say 47-year-old Missy Sledge of Atlanta has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison on charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Prosecutors say Sledge and co-conspirators filed fraudulent tax returns by using personal information that was stolen from the victims. Authorities say if the returns were questioned by the IRS and forwarded to Sledge, she would make sure the agency paid the fraudulent refunds.

Officials say Sledge would also reroute pending returns to her co-conspirators rather than the taxpayers who were supposed to receive them.

Prosecutors say 60 people were victims in the scheme and Sledge has been ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

World Cup watch party, festival planned in Georgia

BROOKHAVEN, Ga. (AP) — Metro Atlanta soccer fans are invited to a World Cup watch party and festival in Brookhaven.

Organizers of Atlanta Soccerfest 2014 say the festival is being hosted at Brookhaven Park June 22 from noon to 8 p.m.

The event is expected to feature three games on a large LED screen, culminating with the USA vs. Portugal match at 6 p.m.

Organizers say the event will also include a 5K, a 1-mile run for children and soccer clinics.

Organizers say registration fees from the runs will benefit Brookhaven schools and other proceeds will benefit Keep Kickin,' a foundation that supports blood cancer research and patients in Atlanta.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Savannah teacher and his students are planning to spend Saturday removing a colony of bees from inside the walls of a local church.

Savannah Country Day School teacher and beekeeper Andrew Wiley tells WJCL-TV he and his students will be removing bees from the walls of Jerusalem Baptist Church and storing them in a habitat on the school's campus.

Wiley says his group will cut the bee colony's combs out of the walls and place them into a new wooden hive.

Wiley says the school is home to three bee colonies and an observation hive in his classroom. He said the bees came into the church from gaps in the church's panels and his group will make sure to seal the gaps tightly after the bees are removed.

HIRAM, Ga. (AP) — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of the owner of a roofing company.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Ron Crist died Thursday in an incident at the Paulding County business. Firefighters were called to Crist Roofing and Construction in Hiram around 3:30 p.m. Details of what happened were not released.

Crist was 42 and lived in Powder Springs. A post on the company's Facebook page says they lost an owner, family member and friend.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Owner of 'Uga' mascots dies

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The woman who owned the University of Georgia lineage of "Uga" bulldog mascots has died.

UGA President Jere Morehead says Cecelia Seiler died on Thursday in Savannah. The Savannah Morning News reports that Seiler was 80 and died after a long illness.

Seiler, the wife of Frank "Sonny" Seiler, made a red t-shirt with a black 'G' to fit the couple's first bulldog puppy in 1956. Uga I was named the official mascot of the university shortly after, and the lineage has remained ever since. "Russ" now serves as Uga IX.

Former UGA football coach Vince Dooley says Seiler was the matriarch of the bulldog tradition.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Atlanta mayor, wife welcome first child

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has become a father.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Reed's new wife, Sarah-Elizabeth Reed, gave birth to a baby girl on Thursday. Maria Kristan Reed is the couple's first child.

Reed, 44, and Langford were engaged in March and announced they were expecting a child about a week later. The mayor's office did not say in a statement when the couple married.

Reed says in the statement that his daughter's birth is the happiest moment of his life and asks for privacy.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.

Forsyth County deputy shot in leg at courthouse

CUMMING, Ga. (AP) — A Forsyth County deputy shot in the leg at the county courthouse is expected to recover.

Forsyth County Sheriff Suane Piper tells WSB-TV that the suspect is dead. The shooting was reported Friday morning at the courthouse, located about 40 miles northeast of Atlanta.

Police on scene are routing traffic away from the courthouse and evacuating some nearby businesses. Video from the scene taken by local media shows a silver SUV stopped near the steps of the courthouse, past a flag pole and potted plants.

Piper says the deputy was transported to a local hospital and has been with the department 25 years.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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